CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Organizations in Chester County are partnering up to combat the issue of homelessness in the county.
Officials say right now they are in the early phases of a program that will address the rising issue. The Chester County Department of Community Development said there was an 8% rise in the unhoused population in 2023, with the numbers still going up.
“I can’t imagine what it would be like to not know where I’m sleeping tonight or to not have a place to get out of the weather. When people are doubling up and living in someone else’s home, that’s homelessness. When people are living in a homeless encampment, that’s homelessness,” Libby Sweatt-Lambert, a leader in the planning group told WCNC Charlotte.
Sweatt-Lambert says currently the county does not have a place to shelter those in need. Leaders say funds are running dry – spending nearly $50,000 in 2023 alone.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a homeless shelter," she said, "so we have to rely on funding that will allow us to put people in motels, make deposits on apartments, and possibly even first month’s rent."
Sweatt-Lambert says the plan for the program right now is to use models from Columbia, Rock Hill, and Charlotte and with colder months around the corner they’re just bracing for the influx and hoping for a quick solution.
Contact Anna King at aking2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.